Related Articles

Multimedia

Audio

In Liberia, there are mixed reactions to this week's announcement by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf that she will run for re-election next year. A draft report by the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission said President Sirleaf should be barred from seeking further political office for 30 years.

President Sirleaf ended the speculation this week by announcing that she intends to be a "formidable" candidate in Liberia's 2011 election.

Junior Minister Issac Jackson says Liberians trust her leadership.

"The vast majority of people in this country are saying that Madame Sirleaf is conducting the affairs of the state properly, that today you speak of reconstruction of roads," he said

Jackson says supporters petitioned President Sirleaf to run again because she is best qualified to continue Liberia's reconciliation and reconstruction.

"Are you saying that the president should turn down that petition because of some personal agenda that she is not going to run? I think no," he added.

A draft report from Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission last year said President Sirleaf should be banned from public office for 30 years because of her early support for former rebel leader Charles Taylor.

She admits to giving him money, but testified that she was misled into supporting Mr. Taylor and ended that support when she learned of the human-rights abuses in his campaign against then-president Samuel Doe.

While the ban on President Sirleaf was not included in the commission's final report, it is still before parliament.

Human-rights activist Adama Demster says her decision to run again undercuts the commission's work.

"By-passing the document to make a declaration, we feel that it is not in support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the work they have done. It should not just be overlooked and the people try to present themselves in another form," said Mr. Demster.

University student William Selmah says it is inappropriate for the president to announce her re-election campaign before the commission's work is complete.

"She is slapped with a 30-year ban through the TRC recommendation. While this recommendation is yet to be endorsed or rejected, the president has already said that she is seeking another term of office," he noted.

Selmah is also disappointed by the president breaking her promise to serve only one term.

"As a leader, you have to be someone of your word. She said she would not seek a second term," he added. "After getting a first term, she would turn over the mantle of leadership to a younger generation which she would have groomed by then. That was a broken promise, and those are statements that make people not take you serious the next time."

Opposition politician Darius Dillion has no problem with the president running again, and says it is time for her opponents to stand up to the challenge.

"It is her right to contest again," said Dillion. "Her being in the race has brought even more added value and flavor. It should be taken seriously so that those who call ourselves the opposition who want state power, we should meet the challenge."

In announcing her plans for re-election President Sirleaf did not mention the commission's proposed ban. She did say not everyone agrees with its findings, but the body has made important recommendations. The president says there must be a "conscious national determination to move ahead cautiously and strategically" in acting on its recommendations.

At this year's annual South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas, some musicians from Mali were on hand to promote a film about how their lives were upturned by jihadists who destroyed ancient treasures in the city of Timbuktu and prohibited anyone from playing music under threat of death. As VOA’s Greg Flakus reports from Austin, some are afraid to return to their hometowns even though the jihadists are no longer in control there.

Video

At this year's annual South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas, some musicians from Mali were on hand to promote a film about how their lives were upturned by jihadists who destroyed ancient treasures in the city of Timbuktu and prohibited anyone from playing music under threat of death. As VOA’s Greg Flakus reports from Austin, some are afraid to return to their hometowns even though the jihadists are no longer in control there.

Video

American warplanes joined Iraq's battle against the so-called 'Islamic State' in northern Iraq late Wednesday, as Iraqi ground troops launched a massive assault on Tikrit. Analysts say the offensive could take the coalition a step further towards Mosul, the largest city held by Islamic State forces. Others say it could also deepen already-dangerous sectarian tensions in the region. VOA's Heather Murdock has more from Cairo.

Video

Tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry in the Philippines. Close to five million foreign visitors traveled there last year, perhaps lured by the country’s tropical beaches. But Jason Strother reports from Manila that the country hopes to entice more travelers to stay indoors and spend money inside new casinos.

Video

The continued fighting in eastern Ukraine and the shelling of civilian neighborhoods seem to be pushing more men to join the separatist fighters. Many of the new recruits are residents of Ukraine made bitter by new grievances, as well as old. VOA's Patrick Wells reports.

Video

Islamic State fighter, a prisoner of Kurdish YPG forces, asked his family asking for forgiveness: "I destroyed myself and I destroyed them along with me." The Syrian youth was one of two detainees who spoke to VOA’s Kurdish Service about the path they chose; their names have been changed and identifying details obscured. VOA's Zana Omer reports.

Video

More is being discovered about the co-pilot in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps. Investigators say he was hiding a medical condition, raising questions about the mental qualifications of pilots. VOA's Carolyn Presutti reports.

Video

In cities with heavily congested traffic, people can get around much faster on a motorcycle than in a car. But a rider who is not sure of his route may have to stop to look at the map or consult a GPS. A Russian start-up company is working to make navigation easier for motorcyclists. Designers at Moscow-based LiveMap are developing a smart helmet with a built-in navigation system, head-mounted display and voice recognition. Zlatica Hoke has more.

Video

U.S. federal law enforcement agents arrested two suburban Chicago men accused of trying to join ISIS overseas, while also plotting attacks in the United States. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports from the Midwest state of Illinois, one of those arrested is a soldier of the Illinois National Guard.

Video

Traditional push-rim wheelchairs create a lot of stress for arm, shoulder and neck muscles and joints. A redesigned chair, based on readily available bicycle technology, radically increases mobility while reducing the physical effort. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Beatrice Yardolo was to make history as Liberia’s last Ebola patient. Liberians recently started counting down 42 days, the period that has to go by without a single new infection until the World Health Organization can declare a country Ebola-free. That countdown stopped on March 20 when there was another new case of Ebola, making Yardolo’s story a reminder that Ebola is far from over. Benno Muchler reports from Monrovia.

Video

Indigenous communities in Cambodia's Ratanakiri province say the government’s economic land concession policy is taking away their land and traditional way of life, making many fear that their identity will soon be lost. Local authorities, though, have denied this is the case. VOA's Say Mony went to investigate and filed this report, narrated by Colin Lovett.

Video

One of the films that drew big crowds last week at the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, tells the story of the last human being to stand on the moon, U.S. astronaut Eugene Cernan. It has been 42 years since Cernan returned from the moon and he laments that no one else has gone there since. VOA’s Greg Flakus reports.